China Starts Using Anal Swabs Due to New COVID Risk

China has begun using anal swabs to detect people at risk of contracting a new coronavirus that is partially isolated, according to China Central Television (CCTV). The new method could detect the virus more effectively, but it can't be determined. Swabs would not be used as widely as other methods, as the technique isn't convenient. 

WHAT IS ANAL SWAB COVID-19 TEST?

The test involves the insertion of a saline-soaked cotton swab about three to five centimeters (one to two inches) into the anus, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The sample is then tested for active traces of the novel coronavirus. However, several people have complained of inconvenience.

IS IT EFFECTIVE IN DETECTING CORONAVIRUS?

China has rolled out the new testing technique based on research that traces of the virus found in the anus can last longer than in the respiratory tract. Most Chinese doctors have backed anal swab tests on the basis that recovered patients have continued to test positive through samples from the lower digestive tract days after nasal and throat swabs came back negative, a report in Washington Post said.

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